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How this Rising Star styled her TIFF red-carpet debut

Actress Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama is dressed to impress at her first fest.

"I love the feminity that comes with this dress," she says. "It’s a body conscious dress but I love it." (Vince Talotta / Toronto Star)

By Ryan PorterEntertainment Reporter

Fri., Sept. 9, 2016

Toronto may be known for its muted red carpets, but Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama has brought some Lagotian flair to this year’s fest. “Lagotians, they’re special people,” the 29-year-old actress from Lagos, Nigeria says with a smile.

“We don’t understand the concept of overdressing. We just dress. And it’s always a lot.”

With a trio of films at TIFF, Iyamah-Idhalama’s statement personal style has been on display at premieres for comedy The Wedding Party and medical thriller 93 Days. Her legal drama The Arbitration premieres on Tuesday.

Along with OC Ukeje, her co-star in The Arbitration, Somkele (pronounced Som-Kai-lai, which means “follow me to praise God”) was chosen by TIFF for its inaugural international Rising Star program, a crash-course in celebrity that includes meetings with casting directors and filmmakers, media training and a Hollywood glam-ification by Birks, The Bay and L’Oreal.

Before that boot camp, we caught up with her at designer Stephan Caras’s Maison Caras storefront on Queen St. E. where she was dressing for her first-ever TIFF red carpet: the TIFF Soirée cocktail party with Michael Fassbender. She’s browsing the racks, where she hopes to find a gown that fits her self-described “crazy” style.

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“I always say, you come across exactly as you feel,” she says. “Especially with clothes. If I like it, you’ll see it.”

Iyamah-Idhalama shared her thoughts on three looks by the Canadian label before choosing the perfect gown for her festival debut.

This asymmetrical silk and chiffon Grecian gown’s unconventional cut immediately appealed to Iyamah-Idhalama. “There’s a very soft, elegant, ladylike feel to the colour,” she says.

“And I love the left dramatic sleeve. I am not much of a fan of the one-shoulder piece, but this works for me.”

“She has the perfect character to carry a gown like that,” says Sharida Caras, wife of Stephan and vice-president of their company. “She has the height and the posture to carry that dress.”

Raspberry cocktail

This versatile cocktail dress could take her from press conference to premiere to party. (Vince Talotta/Toronto Star)

“A peplum always fits a woman’s body no matter what,” says Iyamah-Idhalama of the black silk jacquard cocktail dress, designed with a double peplum — one black, one “raspberry.”

Iyamah-Idhalama senses this could be a versatile look. “I could wear this for a red carpet and then a party afterwards,” she says. She’s also eyeing it for a luncheon, such as her sit-down schmooze with IMDB.

“It’s a little playful,” Iyamah-Idhalama’s publicist says when the actress tries on a low-cut black gown. “This is more than a little playful,” she says, motioning to the sheer cutouts across the back.

On paper, Iyamah-Idhalama says, a backless dress with a leg slit, plunging neckline and cutouts shouldn’t work. “That sounds like a lot of skin, but it just falls right,” she says. “It doesn’t feel overexposed.”

“It’s a very sexy dress, but it’s elegant,” Sharida Caras notes.

Red carpet arrival

And the winner is...the bombshell look! For her first TIFF red carpet, Iyamah-Idhalama opted to make a sexy statement in this black gown. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star)

When she arrived at the TIFF Soirée party with Michael Fassbender, Iyamah-Idhalama opted to take a body-confident first step forward. “I felt like this was more of a statement piece for the first international red carpet that I would be attending,” she said the next day.

“I wanted something that would talk about my personality and how I felt. I felt happy. I felt confident in my skin.”

She also has the asymmetrical blush pink gown on hand for a yet-to-be determined event. “I’m one of those crazy people who just wake up and says, I feel like this one,” she says. “I think that one will speak volumes at another event.”

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